Innsbruck | Austria

Innsbruck is one of those towns that has fairytale like qualities. From beautiful architecture, kind and warm locals, to the souring mountains watching over the city. Innsbruck was a quick stop in a completely packed multi-city trip and it was my favorite to spend some downtime in.

When you pack as much as we did into a week, you need a casual down day to keep your sanity. Particularly if your entire existence was called into question while in a neon orange swimsuit... I love seeing as much as possible, but I also like slowing down and really absorbing a city when traveling. It lets you take in the city's beauty, the locals, and lets you see what you might have missed at any other time.

Innsbruck is the perfect city to take a breather. We arrived late that night after visiting Neuschwanstien Castle and Zutspikes earlier that day. A word to the wise, we arrived on Monday evening and almost every eating establishment was closed by 10:00PM, so plan your meals accordingly.

WHERE TO STAY: We stayed at the best Airbnb I've encountered to date. As someone who has stayed in a variety of lodgings, this one was a dream. It was a lovely flat that had 3 separate bedrooms, so we all got our own space. Which is great for relaxing and keeping your own personal schedule on a down day while traveling. Not to mention star fishing on your own bed.

The location couldn't have been better. We were nestled in a beautiful building just a 2 minute walk from the Gothic old town of Herzog Friedrich Street. Which is the location of the popular Golden Roof. There are plenty of public parking structures located around the city. Parking shouldn't be an issue, but can get pricy over a long stay. If you are staying in town, be sure to ask your host or hotel the best place to leave your vehicle over a long span of time.

WHAT TO DO: Now, there are plenty of things to do in Innsbruck, particularly if you are into shopping. However, we were using our one day in Innsbruck as a causal relax day and mostly walked around the city to admire the architecture, drink delightful coffee, and enjoy local parks. If you are big into hiking, take advantage of the mountains that tower over the city. We visited in late February and it was just too cold and snowy to hike just yet. However, if you have free time and love to hike I would recommend it.

If you are a big shopper, old town is your destination. It's packed with all kinds of shopping, but the bulk seemed to be mostly clothing stores. I'm not much of a shopper, but love people watching in old town squares as they're full of colorful and fashionable folk. Also dog walkers, so I can watch cute little fluff butts roam around. Not to mention getting a hot coffee on a cold day and looking out a window at the beautiful town center is delightful.

The Golden Roof is a must-see as far as attractions go, but its just that, a golden roof. Granted, we didn't visit the museum associated with it, but admired the roof then kept exploring the city. Luckily it's located at on Herzog Friedrich Street so its a easy stop as you explore.

If you are up for some walking, visit some of the parks available. We ran into a beautiful public park were you could picnic, or if you are up for it, play a large game of chess. Not to mention fun little playgrounds for those with little ones. Overall a wonder way to spend some time off the cobblestones while exploring. Real talk, I honestly considered how I could sneak one of these back home with me, but thought my horse-shaped hunchback would draw too much attention.

Overall Innsbruck is a wonderful town and a great place to visit year around. From hiking, to skiing, it has something for every season and we barely scrapped the surface of what this town has to offer.

Tell me, have you visited Innsbruck? What was your favorite attraction that didn't make this list.